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Mon-Thu. 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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What could be better? Amazingly good Italian food that focuses on local, organic ingredients, in a great atmosphere, and really nice staff.
I went with a group of 6 last night (we had reservations - that seems important.) I had this amazing Chicory salad that had walnuts and gorgonzola, plus this amazingly sweet balsamic vinegar called "saba." I then had the potato pizza - with fontina, pancetta, and rosemary. It was the perfect combination on a thin crust - very tasty. I also tasted the Chantorelle mushroom pizza - I'm not much for mushrooms usually, but it was really tasty. And the deserts (i had samples of a number of them) were really good.
All in all, amazingly good food, and wonderful wait staff.
Mind you, it's not just pizza.
They have these cocktails that kick my butt. I need to be careful.
Interesting beer selection... try the Japanese Hitachino White Ale.
Un-effing-believable.
Thin thin thin crust flatbread-like pizza with these amazing combination of flavors.... like wild mushrooms, spicy greens and sheep's milk cheese, or something like that. Spicy meats with fruit... I should stop before I botch this. Just really inventive.
The appetizers always reel us in. Constantly changing with seasonal availability. So far, have never tried the pasta. I'm always dazzled by the pizza. The GF and I have eaten here several times sometimes waiting an hour, sometimes with reservations but, have never ever been disappointed. And the garden seating is just so romantic.
Good for when the 'rents come to town, it's warm, inviting always hopping and....impressive! I'm a big believer in host attitude and they deliver! We always feel welcome!
November 4, 2009, Tuesday, @ 7:45 PM
If I were a super-model and earning my salaries in Euro or Yen, I would bribe the chef at Pizzaiolo to cook for me everyday. I would ask Mr/Ms. Chef to duplicate the dinner I had with BF last night:
PUNTARELLE & ARTICHOKE JERUSALEM WITH ANCHOVIES, LEMON AND GRANA (5 stars): A wonderful combination of citrus-tangy and bitter taste. Very refreshing salad. I would ask Chef to quadruple the portions since I can eat a whole platter of this almost guilt-free! ($9)
MEATBALLS W/ POLENTA & RAPINI (5 stars): 4 medium-sized meatballs in thick red sauce. I had one bite just to taste but my mouth exclaimed "WOW!" The meatballs had a nice smokey taste to it. The tomato sauce was divine and gooey. Too bad the server forgot to serve the bread we requested to soak up the sauce and polenta. Double-portions would have been nice. ($14)
MARGHERITA PIZZA(3.5 stars): Don't get me wrong--it's good but it's also just okay good. No "Wow!" factor. I guess I got so spoiled with the choices of wonderful thin-crust pizzas in the Bay Area that Pizzaiolo's pizza was just on the average but can still be considered upper-crust in the thin-crust pizza world. (No pun intended.) ($13)
POLENTA WITH GORGONZOLA (4.5 stars): Soooo creamy. Not like the gritty polenta that I cook at home. So simple, so comforting and perfectly paired with a glob of strong stinky cheese. ($5)
TAB: $ 77.00 (including wine, 2 lemonades, tax and tip)
Since I am not even close to any kind of model much less a super-model and very thankful for my modest wage, I will be happy to just eat at Pizzaiolo once in a while. However, BF was not wowed. Once again, we left the restaurant with him reporting: I'm still hungry." I left the place comfortably full but I do agree with him. The portions were not enough to even hit the spot for a regular folk with a regular-sized appetite.
WINE: 5 Stars for a wonderful full-bodied Sangiovese ($10.75)
FOOD: 3.5 to 5 Stars
WAIT TIME: 2 Stars. 45 min wait. I recommend getting a reservation.
SERVICE: 4.5 Stars. Very friendly except he forgot our bread.
PORTIONS: 3 Stars for smallish portions.
OVERALL: 4 Stars
Casual-classy, dark with exposed brick walls. Open kitchen and huge well-stocked bar. Packed. Super-loud. Happy people Happy place. Delicious food. HAPPENING IN NORTH OAKLAND.
(Special Thanks to BF for the wonderful Tuesday night dinner and beautiful flowers.)
I was so in the mood for a pizza, or maybe shortribs if Mr. Hallowell was offering this as a special.
But alas, a very rude person picked up the phone and delivered too much attitude and too little information about obtaining a reservation, so I headed to Dopo instead.
I'll try to call Pizzaiolo again in a couple of months, as that person shouldn't last much longer, be allowed to poison the vibe.
The polenta with bleu cheese. The meatballs. The fried chicken. The affogato. The pizza.
But, if…
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Lean like a cholo for pizzaiolo!
No worries, the food is so much better than my rhymes will ever attempt to be. Even the butter for the bread (acme) is to die for. The pizzas are absolutely heavenly. They're surprisingly filling, and one pizza is enough to share between 2 hungry eaters. I'm not sure how often the menu changes, but if possible, get the potato, pancetta, fontina pizza. We started off with a fish appetizer, the fancy name of which I don't remember. It had pine nuts, glazed onions, and raisins in a unique lemon-based sauce. Or at least that's what it tasted like. The flavors are so amazing and delightful. I'm going to appropriate Alice Waters' words here--Pizzaiolo is definitely part of a "delicious revolution" occurring in the bay area.
Come early--there's always a wait, even on weeknights.
This is also the perfect spot for a small birthday gathering.
Great early kid spot, especially when the back lot is open!
Don't miss the calamari.
Yah!! 4-stars for delicious thin crust tasty tasty flavorful pizza. Good wine selection too and nice servers. I like the atmosphere...busy and buzzing with good energy. I left however smelling like their woodfire oven? I was smoked inside out and had to dry clean my entire outfit. That was unexpected but heads up peeps. Oh panna cotta with lemony sauce is awesome.
Barbara & I ate a late Saturday lunch. Place was crowded with young local families, so lots'a small kids and baby strollers in the aisles.
Without reservations we waited in the doorway for 15 mins after giving our name. We struck up a conversation with a diner at the bar who was enjoying his pizza. He said that he'd eaten here 15 times and was always satisfied.
Blessedly we got a table in the back, which is plainer visually, but much quieter. We didn't order pizza. We had salads, some pasta, a roast chicken.
We ordered reasonably priced wine by the glass. Some interesting wines are on the list.
Overall the food is pretty good. We were expecting gourmet on the cheap from the professional press reviews we read. Well, It's not gourmet. But the food is earnest, honest, clean tasting, fresh and flavorful - YES.
The dining room is one cut above a local storefront diner - intentionally. Room retains old brickwork and plaster. Both are re- & de- constructed.
Good new wave Cali-Italo-American food. Try it!
Blue bottle coffee and buttermilk donuts for breakfast - the donut was a total clogged artery, but it was AMAZING! If you come here to work, get in before 12, and they'll let you stay inside when they close the place to prep for dinner at 12 (or 12:30?).
Came back here for dinner, and their pizzas are ridiculously good. Can't remember which one we got, but the ingredients were fresh, pizza wasn't greasy, and the crust was thin. I'm a fan of their pizza.
I've heard about sightings of a certain shirt with this printed across the chest: I HELLA HEART OAKLAND.
Well, I HELLA HEART PIZZAIOLO.
Good enough to move to the East Bay.
I've been here many times for dinner. Nice place, nice pizza, nice drinks. Nice place to take your boyfriend to meet your parents.
But today, oh today. I discovered that they serve blue bottle coffee and a pumpkin spice donut that dominates any other donut I've ever had in my whole life.
plus, it's an especially nice place in the morning, where people spread out on big tables with their macs, have quiet conversations, or read books. it's sweet as hell, and my new favorite place to have a local AM meeting when I'm working from home. For adding an AM component, they get five stars.
I've only been here for breakfast, but that alone is fantastic: wonderful donuts, turnovers, toast and jam, and the best cappuccino I've had in the Bay Area (though I'm certainly not an expert). Usually some kitchen staff and the owner are there doing early prep for dinner that day (menu changes daily, I believe), and it can be really fun overhearing their plans.
One thing: don't expect quick service. They get very busy, and only have one person pulling shots, so things tend to get backed up and people inevitably complain. Plenty of other places to go if you just want to grab some coffee and run.
There are so many things I really like about this place.
The warm, comforting ambiance. The beautiful back patio. The garden and chicken coop - not to mention to bocce court. The heavenly house-made tonic water and gracious bartenders/mixologists. The delicious, Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas (pizza margherita being one of my all-time favorite dishes ever in terms of perfect culinary simplicity) and supporting cast of thoughtful sides and entrees.
Ok, so there's definitely more I love about Pizzaiolo than I don't.
Overall service can be hit or miss at times. I've always had expert service at the bar, but floor waitstaff is sometimes distracted, forgetful, and apathetic. On my last visit with the fabulous Kristine G., the hostess acknowledged us briefly and then when we asked about our possible wait time, promptly turned away and ignored us for several minutes, leaving us wondering if we should just take the hint and go elsewhere.
My only major gripe, I guess, would be with founder-chef Charlie Hallowell's "blog"-style ranting on Pizzaiolo's website, which just seems misplaced and surprisingly unprofessional. I've never been a huge fan of the, "I'm so cool and talented that I can do or say whatever I want and damn the establishment and fuck you if you don't like it" mentality, so maybe that's what bugs me about the whole thing. But perhaps that's my issue, not his.
------------
And yes, I know this is seriously old news I'm harping on, since "Charlie's Rants" hasn't been updated in almost a year and apparently he's already taken a ration of shit over a couple of the posts. However, it was new to me when I stumbled across it while browsing their website.
All things considered, Pizzaiolo still solidly delivers (figuratively, not literally), and as long as I haven't pissed off Charlie too badly now, I'll be back to indulge in their awesome fare.
The restaurant has a great vibe inside, rustic and clean with an old Tuscan feel. So good start to the evening. This place was supposedly in the top 3 pizzas of the WORLD, not just our area, the WORLD. Hmm, OK I'll bite and try it. (Can't be better than my favorite, Rosso, right?!)
So we sit down outside under some well working heat lamps and indulge in oven roasted peppers (red are sweeter than green), a tuna confit salad and some fresh Acme bread. I felt the tuna was slightly overcooked, it still tasted lovely but was not outstanding in anyway.
Dinner was a few pizzas, the chantrelle which came highly recommended and the Monterey squid pizza. Squid on a pizza?! Could be either amazing or tragic, let's find out! Turns out that was the winner of the night for me. It had an aoli on it that created a fabulous creamy delight, the squid was not fishy at all, it was delicate and fresh. A perfect balance for me. The chantrelle pizza was another story, meh was all I am left with on that one. It was too lemony or something, the balance was wrong. I could have done with out that one.
So dessert, OMG you HAVE to try their panacotta if they have it!!! We had a vanilla version with a pear caramel sauce and a gingersnap cookie. I am not kididng you, it was heaven in my mouth. I thought I couldn't stuff another ounce in my body but I wanted to drown in that sauce and swim in a bate of that dessert it was incredible!!! The panacotta was perfectly firm on the outside but giving and soft like silk on your tongue. That dessert is perfection!
I love that this place does daily menus, fresh ingredients and local suppliers if possible. I love to support a community orientated place, makes the food better to me when it is created with love as theirs seems to be.
I just think some things were meh while others were mindblowing. So for the inconsistency in my experience it is not a 4 or 5 star place, yet. Maybe some day soon.
I LOVE that their pizzas are cracker-thin and liberally topped with out-of-the-ordinary ingredients. I confess I had no idea what rapini is, but what the hell, why not? (Oh, Google is my friend ... brocolli raab! Yes, now I can see that!) It was a nice compliment with the heartily spiced saus-eeeeege.
For starters I ordered the heirloom tomato and "hand-pulled" mozerella salad, thinking it would be a small plate, but hot damn, it was huge. A generous serving that 3-4 people could enjoy as something to whet their appetite before the main she-bam! There was some cucumber mixed in (nice addition) with the basil and tomato salad and it was seasoned well and perfectly refreshing.
The Margherita pizza was savory and satisfying, and Cara Y. loved it. If I wasn't stuffed from the mozzerella and tomato salad I would've snagged a slice, as well. Seriously, Peeps, that salad is big enough to be an entree in itself.
The atmosphere is cozy and mellow - a perfect "date" place (we couldn't help but eavesdrop into the conversation of our neighbors to see it we could determine which number date they were on ... in the end we thought "2") ... and the wait was not too bad.
The only "meh" comment I can offer about Pizzaiolo is their hostess and waitstaff. Not the most efficient at times, but friendly and well-meaning. I know our hostess couldn't help that some tipsy older gentleman was hitting on her, but she could've graciously nipped it in the butt and paid attention to others (ahem, like us, the people standing right IN FRONT of you).
3.5 stars
I've been twice. So perhaps it's not a good enough sampling. But, burned the pizza once, second time half the food was awesome and half overpriced, and unimpressive.
Service isn't something that I put in the ratings much, but one time it took forever to get seated despite having a reservation, and we had to chase down our waitress. The other time we got seated but no one ever filled our water or checked on us.
The whole experience occurs in a very busy atmosphere - which can be nice but wasn't - and it just ruined a lot of the dining experience for me somehow.
That said, I have some friends who swear by it. I'm not really sold, but I don't think people who love this place are completely nuts. (unlike Barlata, which just isn't any good)
Another breathtaking evening with the Absolutely Smart and Sexy Man (ASSM) brought us to Pizzaiolo. The ASSM knows that I am somewhat peeved over lackluster service, so he warned me ahead of time. However, my annoyance was still evident. Hello Pizzaiolo, we are in Oakland.! This isn't The City and you aren't the Holy Grail of the Italian food search. From walking in to find that we have the opportunity to wait for a lucky chance to actually ask the hostess for a table (although we called when the place opened), and get to hear a lot more about the personal lives of the staff than we wanted, we attempted to wait at the bar. But no, you can't do that either, Pizzaiolo considers the bar a version of table seating. Hmm...we had just ordered a glass of wine from one of three bar staff that had just spent way too much time talking about their own tattoos and how cool that they are to waste time serving the public. Fortunately, the other customer was willing to forgo his 'rightful seat' for me.
The ASSM had told me of several of his expectations from Pizzaiolo, one of which is that this great location and nice space was lost to mediocre service. This was unfortunately illustrated by the hostess interrupting ASSM whispering sweet nothings in my ear to let us know that we had a table. Sigh. I really wanted to hear the sweet nothings. ASSM remarked that a French restaurant and a French waiter would have easily understood ASSM's wonderful efforts and NOT interrupted. Not my luck at Pizzaiolo.
On to the food:
The pizza with squash and blue cheese was breathtaking.
The misto was the best thing that we had.
The bar staff interrupted our sexy conversation with their own comments (shame on you voyeuristic servers)
Will I return to Pizzaiolo?
If ASSM wants me to walk on broken glass I will be thrilled at the opportunity. He says go to Pizzaiolo because he craves a good pizza of course I will go. Yes, Pizzaiolo, you remain fixed in his mind, so I will continue to live with you.
I'm told this pizza is excellent. I wouldn't know cause I don't have a use for pizza with paper thin crust topped with no tomato sauce and unusual ingredients.
Seriously, I'm not hating. A lot of people like that kind of pizza. That's cool. Personally though, I think it should be called something else. Give me Little Star or Zachary's all day long. That's pizza.
There's usually a couple of non-pizza alternatives on the menu though. Nothing that really stands out for me - just nicely prepared dishes with fresh ingredients. Very Californiaey.
The service is always amateurish and clunky. It varies from sullen and curt to gregarious and overly familiar, like the guy who practically put his arm around me when he took my order.
But the pizza I don't much like, the uninspired non-pizza alternatives and the odd waitstaff who give hand jobs when they take your order are all forgiven. Because, my fellow lushes, Pizzaiola serves the BEST COCKTAIL EVER.
And it's also the simplest: Vodka and Tonic, made with their own freshly house-made tonic water. They make their tonic from imported South American bark harvested by albino Andean midgets deep in the Amazon rainforest.
Or something like that. Anyway, it's amazing tonic and should only be mixed with something kind of neutral like vodka so you can fully appreciate its nuanced flavor. A lot of people swear by using gin, but I think that's too flavorful for this incredible tonic.
And there you have it - another restaurant review from a drunk's perspective.
Shcrew the fugging pizzzzza gimmeanothercocktail.
Last night's food= not as good as I expected.
Braised squid- too salty, and the sauce was too strong (bread was required)
Pizza with peppers and pancetta- fine
Panna cotta with peaches- texture not quite right: had a thicker and more pudding-like consistency than what it should be. Also I expected the peaches to be more grilled tasting.
The atmosphere is still great, and we were seated in 30 minutes @ 8PM on a Friday- 30 minutes earlier than they told us we should expect. I also loved my bourbon mixed cocktail, though one bartender made me mad.
I was waiting expectantly behind the seated patrons, with a drink menu in my hand. Since she was chatting with a seated dude, and making 3 drinks, I just waited patiently. When she was done, two guys strode up to the bar, called her attention, and she started taking their order. I was starting to protest when she said, "I noticed you, and I'll take your order after." The other lady who I thought was a bus lady, since she was tidying up the whole time I was waiting, then said she could take care of my order.
If the drinks were cheaper maybe I would not be so disturbed, but for 9 dollars a drink, I think it should not be good practice to ignore someone until they are mad.
BTW the ladies who work the front were really nice and helpful.
My new go to restaurant for consistently wonderful food. Been there once a month for the last half a… Read more »
Meh. Derek, my friend Sarah, and I went here for dinner, and I really don't see what the fuss is about. The food wasn't bad, it just wasn't worth the price. We've definitely had better pizza and better thin crust for way less. The waitress was distracted, unhelpful, and not very friendly. The environment was pretentious.
We did, however, enjoy the dessert! While we still thought the price was too high (but hey, if they can get away with it in this economy, why not), it was good. I loved the ice cream and meringue mixed texture, and the pluot sauce on top was fantastic. Sarah thought the strawberry sorbet was boring, but the brown sugar ice cream was great.
Not a bad experience, but I wished I had spent my night and my money somewhere else. Maybe we'll try it again for breakfast sometime.
This is place is real good. Hope they screw up your drink order, though, because they comped our drinks & gave us two free desserts.
The cheese polenta was outstanding, the salads were superior, all four of the pizzas were very good, The sand dabs were off the dial & the desserts were artful & hearty.
If you want anything more than awful service, go somewhere else. Try Cole coffee on College. Great coffee and good staff.
Have been a couple of times for coffee and donut of a morning. Tables are normally messy and need to clean them yourself and the service slow.
No more. Today we asked for a cloth to wipe the filthy bar bench.
The woman running it said she would do it. 10 minutes later she did. She also said twice she would be with us "in a moment".
After waiting for her to serve others and prepare the coffee/toast, she said if we wanted to order we should go to the other end of the bar where the cash register was so she could take our order. WTF!
We left and won't meet clients or friends there again. We eat at restaurants and cafes every day and alternate cafes usually have some type of ambiance worth the experience.
This just doesn't cut it.
I'm upgrading to a 5 due to having eaten here multiple times and not ever having a bad menu item.
PIC and I have been to Pizzaiolo on multiple occasions, and eating here for the project was really just an excuse to eat here again.
Since the last time we've been they opened a back patio, and we sat out there and listened to jazz while eating. This was a nice bonus for us; also nice is that they sorta snuck us in and we didn't have to wait, probably because the wait staff could tell that we're from the neighborhood. Score.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Oakland, and if it weren't for the inevitable wait time I'd probably eat there too often. You can of course make reservations, but I'm an impromptu diner.
What we've ordered: plain pizza, wild fern pizza, meatballs, olive oil cake, salad, various appetizers
Service: hipster friendly - the servers probably live nearby
Atmo: inviting, warm, upscale, but not stuffy - I've worn shorts. Then again, I'll wear shorts just about anywhere.
Crowd: the Hills are alive + the neighborhood
Spent: we generally spend about $50/person here
Overall rating: 5 silver sporks
PIC and I have gone back and forth as to whether or not Dopo has better pizza. It's a tough call, but I think I'm going with Pizzaiolo here due to the freshness and variety of toppings. The last pizza we had was a wild fern pizza that was devoured by a third friend who usually fears all things green. PIC actually didn't like that pizza so much due to its lack of cheesiness (it just had some pecorino sprinkled, and no mozzarella), but that was really more our bad - we didn't read the menu properly. I loved this pizza, and the fact that it got a vege-phobe to eat 2 slices was impressive.
Keep in mind that the pizza here is really more of a super-thin flatbread that's not really a meal. If you want pizza for dinner, you might want to go to Lanesplitter.
The meatballs here are one of my favorite menu items on any menu in a 5-mile radius. They are delicious, sinful and remarkably filling. An order of meatballs and a shared pizza is enough for me to eat, and if we weren't always getting wine we'd spend a lot less money here.
The appetizers are always seasonal and delicious, so if something leaps out at you, order it. Same goes for dessert, though the olive oil cake was so surprisingly delicious that I'll mention it here.
Extra bonus points for Blue Bottle Coffee, which without question is my favorite coffee in the Bay Area (sorry Peet's).
There are 2 main downsides to Pizzaiolo:
1) It's always crowded, making impromptu dining difficult, and making it unpleasant to sit at the front tables
2) It's expensive
Other than that, there are no downsides. Except parking, which is getting harder and harder with each new awesome restaurant that opens on that stretch of Telegraph. But I can't really complain, because having a new Gourmet Ghetto emerge in Oakland is well worth the parking woes to enjoy it.
Eat here.
I ate here last night for the first time. I keep seeing lines outside and the wait has been out of… Read more »
UPDATE: finally after my horrible "handsome incompetent waiter" episode two years ago I returned. Service was excellent. Outdoor seating was excellent. Food was very good.
Prices still on the high side for what I received in my opinion, but that's OK. Sitting outside as a full moon rose up over the East Bay hills made it alright. I'll be back.
The hype around this place confuses me. The food was good, but far more expensive than I thought it… Read more »
never had a bad meal there yet and i try to go as often as possible. great food great atmisphere, and nice staff. i love this place and recommend it as much as possible
A great option for dinner if you're heading to the East Bay. I'm not even usually a thin-crust pizza fan, but it's hard to resist the delectable ingredients that come with it (we had the one with squash and gorgonzola). The polenta with mascarpone is also a can't-miss item. A nice selection of wines by the glass and bottle; mine paired perfectly with the menu, and was very affordable, too. I will indeed return the next time I cross the Bay Bridge to finally try that pizza with fried egg.
What an awesome place.
Probably our fourth or fifth time eating here...last Sat night for our anniversary -- cocktails in Rockridge; dinner in Temescal.
Ambiance is spot on...dim lighting, funky art, fun music...there's this massive map/sketch of the Richmond hills, and the artist was eating next to us: pretty much tells you all you need to know about their dedication to local junk.
I went with the heart attack special: ceasar salad (one of the best and simplest in the Bay Area) then the interesting fried chicken with chili oil and beans...what a great combo. Wife had the simple salad and some great gnocchi.
Easy wine list had us bouncing around from Veneto to Montepulciano.
Service has never been better...feel like they may have a new emphasis on service, because we had folks falling over on us all night.
You must eat at this restaurant!
(Minus one star b/c for the first time our server wasn't some tatted- and pierced-up hottie SuicideGirl.)
Okay- I'm sure the food is good- but I'm a true believer in voting with your dollar.
My girlfriend and I both had long workdays and were getting home late. We were both looking forward to chilling out at home with a pizza and a DVD, and were quite excited to try take-out from Pizzaiolo because of the positive reviews and press. Knowing their menu changes daily, I went online to look at their menu and called to place an order. Turns out they had yesterday's menu still up (at 7pm, mind you). As a result, the lady on the phone pointed this out to me in an annoyed voice, and then said "I don't have time to read the menu to you", which I interpreted as "I don't care about your money". I promptly hung up on her.
So- I hope the owner or manager reads this- not because I wish this business ill-will, nor do I believe I have an out-sized sense of entitlement. But for chrissakes- your pizza may be the best in town, but your service is worse than awful...it's embarrassing for what's purported to be a higher-end neighborhood establishment!
I feel the need to tell everyone on Yelp that I had the most AMAZING chicken here. Like, OMG-I'M-SO-HAPPY-I-HAVE-TASTEBUDS good.
The boyfriend and I opted out of ordering pizza (perhaps a blasphemous act in a restaurant named Pizzaiolo). He got the goat, and I got the chicken. The goat was delicious as well, but he only had about three small pieces of meat and the rest of the plate was covered in veggies and fava beans. I got a whole chicken breast with a layer of perfectly crisped fat with veggies and polenta, which sang together in perfect harmony.
Seriously, I will drive all the way to Berkeley for that chicken again.
Definitely a fan! Got reservations the same day and they were able to accommodate my friend and I. I found an article in the LA Times about this place and decided to give it a try. I am was so interested about the chickens that grew there, I forgot to ask! Anyway, the experience was great and I wouldn't expect anything else from an ex- Chez Panisse chef!
We both got pizza- A-MA-ZING! The crust was so good! I got the mushroom pizza and my friend got the pizza with the sausages. The smell of the mushrooms was so good! The entire pizza was so great and I got to take some home for leftovers the next day.
The restaurant itself was simple, but enchanting. The wood tables and the open kitchen was so great. It kind of reminded me of something I would find in West Los Angeles. Overall, a great time and great food!
no signs outside pizzaiolo that could indicate where it was at. however, look for this hanging sign on the building:
G & G
H
A
R
D
W
A
R (picture of
E dutch boy)
DUTCH BOY
PAINTS
pizzaiolo is to the left of the sign, don tomas is to the right. baked betty's is up the block at the corner.
the interior walls resemble the bombed out buildings seen in wwII war movies. red bricks are exposed all over.
music: big band swing, jazz, easy listening
fine dining::
-buttermilk fried rock fish w/ summer succotash & tomato viniagerette(24): firm, almost flavorful fish. (rockfish doesn't have much taste) with tasty veggies and tangy sauce. not great but satisfying. probably 8 oz of fresh rockfish.
-sweet & sour peppers w/pancetta & marjoram pizza (17)-not much toppings, no cheese but very tasty (red & white onions with a little sausage meat on a very thin crust). pizza is wood fired. would guess flavoring came from olive oil and spieces.
-trumer(draft 4.25)
doing the uptown:
-obviously pricey
-sat at the bar, ok service.
-heard lines form at 6
-street parking on 51st or a block or so away,
otherwise metered parking.
-on chron's top 100.
-no open for lunch? check first
-seems lots of pizza are take out.
OK the wine was good and fairly priced. The olives that we ordered were great ...... until my wife pulled out a 1" broken piece of chalk from the bottom of the dish. I couldn't believe it so I grabbed the dish and found there to be a whole bunch of pieces broken in the dish. I understand that stuff happens but WTF.....????
I told the server and she was very sorry and brought us a complimentary fried cheese ball of some sort???
The pizza we ordered was the sausage and spinach and was very dry and the spinach completely overwhelmed the whole thing, and the sausage was a little too salty.
The staff was nice and I really want to like this place because it is really cool. Maybe I'll give it another shot.
This may be my new favorite place! I went last night for the first time and loved everything from the cocktail before dinner (the New Orleans Buck) to the fall antipasti and pizzas we had. The glass of Barbera was really good too. I also love the cozy and rustic atmosphere. My only gripe is that we had to wait over an hour for a table--on a MONDAY night! But I guess it was a good sign when it's that busy on a MONDAY night! I will now know that we must make reservations for any future visits.
$4 toast? are you shitting me? oh, you're not shitting me? well then i shall try your toast and surely be disappointed as it is impossible for toast to be worth $4-- HOLY CRAP this is the best toast ever. You should be charging at least $5 for this superb toast, sirs! what jam is this? Rhubarb, you say? how delightful.
come for the top notch espresso* and the daily selection of donuts and croissants, stay for the toast. and the hipster-watching.
*seriously, I am a huge pain in the ass about espresso and this is the stuff. for reals reals.
Great pizza and a fun atmosphere, but definitely should be getting another $ sign on the prices.. Went on a Monday night with a reservation, and we were really glad we did - it was busy! 30 minute wait for 2 at 7:30. the alcohols are pretty expensive, $7-8 for a bottle of beer.
We had the heirloom tomato appetizer, which was delicious, but they were rationing the tomatoes - i have never seen such a thin slice of tomato! Had the arugula pizza, which was delicious, and a bite of the potato/rosemary pizza, which was great as well.
Pizza's are $14-18, and the crust was delicious. i didn't see any soggy problems at all.
Goods:
-Good crust, good pizzas, unique toppings
- Nice atmosphere
- parking isn't too hard to find (street meters are til 8pm! be careful)
Bads:
- Not the fastest service, though they were all friendly, can't complain when they're busy.
- Pretty expensive all around.
- Busy, busy - make a reservation!
We didn't have reservations and only had to wait 30 minutes to be seated on Monday night. I ordered a Pizzaiolo cocktail, made from Campari, house-made tonic water and Amore (not sure what this is, amaretto?). It made the wait for a table worthwhile.
Our appetizers were all hits, including Roasted Padron peppers, sockeye salmon with velvety purslane and a light yogurt sauce, and creamy polenta infused with fresh corn and Gorgonzola cheese.
The background music, Talking Heads "Remain in The Light", set the mood, not too boomy. Staff was pro, not missing a beat.
Entrees were mostly stars: pork and tagliatelle & pork ragu, lasagna, and pasta with sardines which was cooked fine, but I wasn't in the mood for sardines. Dumb choice on my part. Luckily, the appetizers more than made up for it. The pizza here of course is great; most tables had a pie or two.
The desert was pretty, pretty good. We'd forgotten how good this place can be. Worth the wait.
Pizzaiolo, pronounced Pizza - ee - olo. Amy and I were embarrassed we both had no clue how to correctly pronounce it, and were taught the proper enunciation by our waiter through a fun word game.
We started with the pickled beet, avocado, fennel & chervil salad. Sweet & tangy beets with creamy salted avocados with crisp, slightly licorice-y fennel - genius! The lovely salad lightly tossed with olive oil, salt & freshly cracked black pepper danced on our tongues, and the flavors melded together so beautifully. Immediately after I finished my half, I wanted more.
Soon after she finished her last piece of avocado, the potato gnocchi with pork and chicken ragu was set on the table. Soft, slightly bouncy potato gnocchi in a light, savory white wine sauce with slow cooked chicken and cubes of meltingly soft pork, sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley. We quickly polished off half the plate before we realized what happened.
I didn't think it was possible to enjoy the pizze as much as we had enjoyed the first two. I was so wrong.
We had initially set our hearts on ordering the rapini & housemade sausage, but we were given a strong personal recommendation towards the monterey bay squid, cherry tomatoes & aioli pizze. Oh, it was SO good, so good, SO GOOD!! Tiny rings of squid and cherry tomatoes were sprinkled over the surface of the thin, chewy crust, and generous rings of alioli were drawn in circles on top. They sprinkled chopped parsley and marjoram on the top, and I was pleasantly surprised by the floral, perfumey marjoram as I bit into a small bunch. It was the tastiest seafood pizze I've eaten so far. Had the slices been cut larger, it could've been folded over NY-style. I loved that it was chewy without being doughy, thin crust with heat blisters but not so crisp that it wandered into flatbread territory. I ate four slices, dipping the puffy crusts in an extra pot of alioli we had requested.
Roasted apricot (or another stone fruit) shortcake with whipped cream ended our meal. That was the only part of dinner that didn't wow us, but we both liked it well enough to eat every crumb.
It's definitely worth it to cross the bridge to eat at Pizza-ee-olo!
Overall: 3.5 stars...leaning toward 4 (helps that I was in the company of one lovely bday sweetie...). Unlike some of the yelpers, we had lovely service. Like some of the yelpers, there was a kid running slightly amok on the patio (no parents anywhere to be seen).
The food was good, if a bit pricey (but we went knowing it'd be a fancy birfday dinner, and armed with a gift cert from anita--thanks anita!--so it was ok). The atmosphere is kid friendly and casual. We sat on the patio with a respectable jazz trio and heat lamps. The music was quite ok, but a bit loud for romantic conversation and canoodling. Possibly a better place with friends than on a date night.
We ordered two apps:
- A delightful squidly number with white beans whose only failing was not enough, and slightly overpriced. The squid was *perfect* tender, slightly charred in tiny spots for extra flavor, nice breadcrumby goodness. And the beans were good and meaty and gave the dish some oomph. Also lovely were the spring onions (i think) and the fresh basil. This might've been my fave dish of the evening.
- A mediocre beet and gem salad. Odd pairing with a citrusy creamy dressing, and the beets were only ok. The only slight miss of the evening.
One mains, with side:
- Pizza with wild nettles and pecorino. Even without sausage or some meaty goodness, this was a fantastic pizza. The crust was perfection (so much so that I was tempted to finish the leftover crusts on the table next to me). And the nettles were not bitter at all, and made for a delish pizza. I sprinkled liberally with salt and chili flakes, and might opt to add anchovies next time, but it was pointed out to me that the subtlety of the dish might have been the whole point.
- Side of rapini. Fairly bland, but good. (Eh, greens. Takes a lot to move me with veggies anyway.)
Two adult beverages:
- Prosecco. I love prosecco. Even at $9 a glass. Lovely lovely stuff. If I hadn't been the dd for the evening, I'd've had a second (or third) glass...
- Rose. Nice, dry, ok. Nothing compared to my prosecco tho.
Two desserts:
- Vanilla pannacota with mexican wedding cookies and some plum number on the side. I loved the plum number. Oy! Yum! The vanilla bit was good too--nice vanilla flavor, nice texture (I kept poking it...). Never had a chance to sample the cookies (so you know they were good--miz sy stopped mid-inhale to ask if I wanted some...).
- Peaches, puff pastry with some lemon verbena sauce. Heavenly. And I don't typically like things that smell/taste remotely like washing up liquid. But this was really a delightful little surprising combo of flavors--the peaches were slightly caramelized, the pastry was tasty, and the sauce was a little (but not too) astonishing for my pedantic palette.
This review is for breakfast only. Have been wanting to go there for awhile and finally planned it with a couple of friends today. Weird coincidence that they showed up in the paper this morning for their donuts. Frankly, the donut was not great. To be fair, I did not choose the pumpkin donuts that were likely the right choice on this early fall day. I chose the chocolate-iced donut. It was fairly flavorless. Another gripe is that there is no drip coffee. Because they serve Blue Bottle, I expected to go in and wait the requisite forever for a simple drip coffee. Instead I had to purchase a more expensive frou-frou coffee. And I needed two...which set me back $6. Hmmph. The whole reason I chose to meet with friends over breakfast somewhere instead of lunch was to save some dough (no pun intended). Ah well, live and learn.
With the actual pizzaiolo coming from Chez Panisse, I guess I was expecting a little more. While the toppings were absolutely delicious, the crust was a little subpar I felt. I would get to the end of each slice and then be disappointed when there was no topping left and just bland crust.
That being said, the acme bread and butter was delicious, and the service was great. The biscotti was also the perfect texture.
I can't remember the last time that I was offered more bread AFTER I finished my main course; they also gave me some complementary biscotti to take home after I told them how much I liked it.
Still, I'm hoping Chez Panisse Cafe is better than this.
Join us for breakfast and…
Alameda, CA
1/2 Off Wine Wednesdays
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Temescal
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Italian
Berkeley, CA
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Italian
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